Overly distorted guitar...raspy, growling vocals...satanic imagery, all fitting descriptions of most black/death metal bands. But some bands dare to push the limits on all of these things. For me, one of those bands is Akercocke. The band mixes great, hyper-fast guitar parts, original vocals, and thought provoking imagery with great results. Its also, upon first hearing, quite uncomfortable to listen to, which may be a result of some of the unsettling song structures. Also, lots of people are turned off by the voice of lead singer Jason Mendonca, but I find his "lion being raped" (came up with that myself) vocals very original. His vocals range from looming, god-like commands to whispers. The implimentation of clean vocals in key areas of songs adds a bit of variety. The style of guitar used switches from extremely fast tremelo picking to heavily palm-muted riffs. The backwards riffing technique used on songs such as "Ceremony of Nine Angels" suppliment a great melodic feel. Also used are oddly placed notes that are played against each other for a great effect. The drumming, which of course grasps the concept of fast double bass, is rather creative, with a heavy emphasis on the snare to create a march-like rythm. The bass follows the guitar, as most bass does, but it has a few outlandish parts. Notable songs are "Of Menstrual Blood and Semen", "Horns of Baphomet", and "Skin for Dancing In". I highly recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of either death or black metal. I fell in love with the album after finally attaining a copy and realizing its brilliance.
